S1217 Cultural Sustainability of Tourism in Africa (S1217)
Tourism is both a major industry and a contact between different cultures, as increasingly tourists go to far and exotic locations, experiencing not only new sceneries, but also new cultures. Africa is among them, as one of the developing destinations. In tourism we all are 'participating experts', and this course will capitablize on the experiences of the students themselves. Africa is our prime focus here, but also as a vantage point to look at tourism elsewhere, like Venice.
This course focuses on tourism as culture contact, apart from but also in the context of the dominant destination of tourism in Africa, wildlife. Tourism in Africa is quite peculiar as for many European tourists Africa evokes images of 'unspoilt nature', wild animals and – possibly – also of 'wild people'. Also, Africa hardly knows any internal tourism, so the setting often is – by the 'North' – characterized as a rather neo-colonial one, people from the North visiting the poor South. But the Africans themselves have a different view and do welcome tourism for a variety of reasons.
Culture contact leads to a reappraisal of culture. Africa's cultural heritage is quite diverse. Other than Europe, Africa's cultural heritage is not a priori monumental, but resides in the varieties of local cultures and the continuities of the past with the present in lifestyle, landscape setting and sometimes buildings. Of great importance here is the intangible cultural heritage, as perceived in cultural performances, rituals and dances that form a large part of the African heritage. It is on this element that tourism does have most of its impact, which is what we will explore in this course, including the problem of dealing and trafficking in African Art.
Thus, from an anthropological vantage point, this module will explore how the meeting of cultures in the African setting takes place, what are with its peculiarities and what impact this meeting has on local populations. Varieties of cultural tourism in Africa range from visiting traditional African cultures to sun-sand holidays, from tracking with the 'blue men of the Sahara' to having the Maasai dance on the lawn, from backpacking through Africa to the cultural experiences of volunteers and from canoeing through the Okavango to becoming a development chief in Ghana. In all of these experiences, the 'couleur locale' of Africa, part of its general cultural heritage, shines through.
These experiences in the far South will be contrasted with the experiences in Venice itself, as researched by the students of this course, looking at European tourism with African eyes.
This course focuses on tourism as culture contact, apart from but also in the context of the dominant destination of tourism in Africa, wildlife. Tourism in Africa is quite peculiar as for many European tourists Africa evokes images of 'unspoilt nature', wild animals and – possibly – also of 'wild people'. Also, Africa hardly knows any internal tourism, so the setting often is – by the 'North' – characterized as a rather neo-colonial one, people from the North visiting the poor South. But the Africans themselves have a different view and do welcome tourism for a variety of reasons.
Culture contact leads to a reappraisal of culture. Africa's cultural heritage is quite diverse. Other than Europe, Africa's cultural heritage is not a priori monumental, but resides in the varieties of local cultures and the continuities of the past with the present in lifestyle, landscape setting and sometimes buildings. Of great importance here is the intangible cultural heritage, as perceived in cultural performances, rituals and dances that form a large part of the African heritage. It is on this element that tourism does have most of its impact, which is what we will explore in this course, including the problem of dealing and trafficking in African Art.
Thus, from an anthropological vantage point, this module will explore how the meeting of cultures in the African setting takes place, what are with its peculiarities and what impact this meeting has on local populations. Varieties of cultural tourism in Africa range from visiting traditional African cultures to sun-sand holidays, from tracking with the 'blue men of the Sahara' to having the Maasai dance on the lawn, from backpacking through Africa to the cultural experiences of volunteers and from canoeing through the Okavango to becoming a development chief in Ghana. In all of these experiences, the 'couleur locale' of Africa, part of its general cultural heritage, shines through.
These experiences in the far South will be contrasted with the experiences in Venice itself, as researched by the students of this course, looking at European tourism with African eyes.
Learning outcomes:
At the end of the course the student should have gained insight in the dynamics of tourism in third world settings, in contrast to the long established tourism system in Southern Europe. The students will do field research during the course, among the tourism experience in Venice, both 'hosts', 'guests' and mediators, also reflecting on their own travel experiences.
Teaching and Evaluation Methods
Teaching is done in a mixed format: lectures, field research by the students with presentations and group discussions. Each student is expected to perform two pieces of research with two presentations, accompanied by a written research report.
Syllabus
Evaluation
Evaluation